A Review of the Relationship Between Sensory Encoding and Lexical Encoding from the Perspective of Working Memory Development

Abstract

The acquisition and retention of linguistic knowledge are based on two main processes, namely sensory encoding and lexical encoding, although their developmental relation and the working memory architecture regulating this link are not yet well understood. This research analyses the multicomponent working memory model, in particular the phonological loop and visuospatial sketchpad, in the context of the interplay of modality-specific sensory information with lexical representations as a function of age. Drawing on longitudinal developmental studies, studies on the modality effect, studies on multisensory integration and L2 acquisition, the paper argues for systematic developmental change at the sensory-lexical interface in working memory: the initial dependence on auditory sensory encoding is gradually replaced by more flexible, multimodal lexical representations as the capacity of phonological working memory and the ability for strategic encoding develops. The episodic buffer is suggested as the fundamental convergence point between multi-sensory coding and long-term lexical knowledge with ramifications for vocabulary education and future study.